Afghanistan bans 8 security firms

"Mr Karzai had accused the security companies of running an "economic mafia" based around "corruption contracts" favoured by the international community. He has said the firms duplicate the work of the Afghan security forces and divert much-needed resources, while Afghans criticise the private guards as overbearing and abusive, particularly on the country's roads."

"Afghanistan has formally banned eight foreign private security firms, including the controversial company formerly called Blackwater, a spokesman for Afghan president Hamid Karzai said.

The Afghan government announced in August that it was giving security firms working in Afghanistan four months to cease operations, potentially hitting hard efforts by NATO-led troops fighting a nine-year insurgency in the country.

"The process of dissolving eight private security companies and collecting their weapons has been carried out successfully," Waheed Omer told reporters.

Xe, the former Blackwater, and White Eagle Security Services, which provides security for Afghan government officials and NGOs in particular, are among the first companies banned.

The August presidential decree ordered the 52 private security contractors operating in the country, both Afghan and international, to cease operations by January 1, 2011.

Many fear the measure could create huge problems for the military and other international entities that depend on the estimated 40,000 employees of private security contractors.

Mr Karzai had accused the security companies of running an "economic mafia" based around "corruption contracts" favoured by the international community.

He has said the firms duplicate the work of the Afghan security forces and divert much-needed resources, while Afghans criticise the private guards as overbearing and abusive, particularly on the country's roads.

The first targets are illegal armed groups operating as private security firms, companies with temporary permits and those who provide security escorts for foreign forces and have been engaged in criminal acts and security breaches.

The government has already closed down an Afghan security firm with 75 employees, and several smaller groups which provided security escorts for convoys, Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said.

Firms are exempt whose guards work inside compounds used by foreign embassies and international businesses and aid and charitable organisations.

General David Petraeus, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said late last month that Mr Karzai was also prepared to allow companies operating from some fixed sites, including power plants, to continue their work.

Xe, formerly Blackwater, gained notoriety in Iraq after guards protecting a convoy opened fire in a busy Baghdad
square in September 2007, killing as many as 17 civilians."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/10/04/3028381.htm

Karzai is as corrupt as they come and it's funny to hear him calling someone else corrupt.

Seriously, you don't know about Blackwater's crimes? And they have (all contractors) 40,000 employees over there...by the way on our tax dollars making 10 times MORE than our troops pay...being an un-regulated industry and allowed to be cowboys...how's that going for "winning their hearts and minds"

Seriously?

People: Stop supporting the Military Indistrial Complex! Privatized or otherwise.

An important document from a USA former Five Star General, former president Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/indust.html

Cowboys? I don't think so since they only hire former Spec-ops personnel for their operations in Afganistan and Iraq.

Not to mention the majority of their people brought up on charges were found not guilty or had charges dropped.

They were nothing but trupmped up charges by the Looney Left.

Fine, you can ignore the bigger picture...it's so typical of the RW nutbags..they pick a potential grey area then dismiss the whole issue. Right from a Hannity manual...I feel bad for the people who live their lives by choice to be blind...otherwise we know we have internet shills...the MIC and other Big Corps along with their political party the GOP... got tons of money...they will pay people to lie. But if it's shillery here then I've been up against better.

But I know that honest people read these threads as well so it's worth the while to post a closer reality, even tho~ it's a boring...with one side having no ammo.

so what are you saying? they are above the afgan laws? whatever country they are in, they still have to follow the laws... nice to know you just believe whatever the left-side quarterly prints out as the truth... the muslims do business a different way than us, and if they don't follow those rules, they will be kicked out and banned...

"Winning the hearts and minds".....

Like thats ever going to happen!!

I dunno, we were close when President Bush was in office.

There is no winning the hearts and minds of those dirtbags. They already have their minds made up...they will always hate us. They will always use every oppertunity to kill us.

Change of name...

Change the person that has nominal 'command'...

Put a new patch on the 'uniform'...

and they will never go away.

They have 'multinational' backing and secret goals.

Blackwater is but a name for merc.

They are mercanaries doing a dangerous job protecting US and NATO targets and allies.

That's so funny...first the Iraq war was about WMD and the Iraqi's greeting us as liberators...then when they found no WMD it was about Nation Building (something the Dippic said he'd never do (2000 campaign speech)) by "winning their hearts"...yet it ALL turned out to be about oil, no-bid "mercs" (whatever), and of course the MIC.

Liars and the liars who protect them have no souls.

Perhaps some of the organizations are doing that. Blackwater is an extension of org's that have their own agenda's and provide cover and protection to US and NATO troops only so 'blackwater' has cover to operate.

Check their history. They are all over the world doing the same 'job' under many different names.